Hand-controlled water softener



Oct. 30, 1928. 1,689,308

c. A. STICKNEY HAND CONTROLLED WATER SOFTENER Filed April 18, 1927 Patented Oct. 30, 1928.

UNITED STATES 1,689,308 PATENT OFFICE,

CHARLES A. STICKNEY, OF ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO STIOKNEY HYDRAULIC? 00., F ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATIOR OF ILLINOIS.

HAND-CONTROLLED WATER SOFTENER.

This invention relates to base-exchange water softeners and is more particularly devoted to the hand type such as are more commonly provided for domestic'use where a low priced unit is desired.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a softener tank of improved construction enabling the building of a more compact unit than would otherwise be permitted, and

one which is cheaper is manufacture, easier to assemble or disassemble, and likewise more convenient to service in regeneration.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing showing a vertical section through a hand controlled softener con structed as hereinafter'described.

The softener comprises a tank 5 preferably of galvanized iron, or other suitable material, reinforced at the lower end by a. rim 6 to 20 form aeproper base. The bottom 7 of the tank is riveted, welded, or otherwise suitably secured, to the side wall of the tank in elevated relation to the base, as shown, and receives an inlet pipe at the center thereof.

-..') The latter is properly sealed at the joint 9 and braced, as indicated at 10, and has connection with a pipe 11 extending out through an opening 12 provided in the side wall of the tank just above the base. The pipe 11 30 is in turn connected with a pipe 13 communieating by way of a valve 14 with the hard water supply pipe 15. The pipe 13 also has connection through a valve 16 with the sewer by way of the Waste pipe 17. The hard wate supplied through the pipe and injected into the softener through the pipe 8 passes upwardly through the bed of water softening material, indicated at 18, and is discharged through a pipe connection 19 and through valve 20 to the service system by way of the pipe 21. The details thus far gen erally described form a part of most zeolitic or base-exchange water softeners and no' invention is, therefore; claimed therein, except 45 only in so far as they contribute toward the novel construction and arrangement hereinafter more fully described.

The top 22 of the tank with which the soft water outlet pipe 19 is connected constitutes a separable unit arranged for detachable mounting on the upper end of the tank. It is in the form of a hollow casting providing an annular flange .23 arranged to bolt down upon a rim 24 and compress a packing25 'therebetween to provide a fluid tight joint,

The rim 24, as shown, is in the form of a separate ring providing an annular groove 26 into which the upper edge of the side wall of the tank .is' flared or swedged, as indicated at 27. The packing 25 is preferably interposed directly between the flange 23 and flared end 27 of the side. wall of'the-tank-to insure agood' joint. The top 22 provides an inner wall 28 and an outer wall 29 spaced relation to leave ahead chamber 30 therebetween with which the soft'wateroutlet pipe 19 communicates. A plurality of strainer heads or nozzles 31 conforming to the design described and claimed in my copending application, Serial No. 184,519, filed April 18, 1927, depend from the inner wall 28 and. as described in said application, per-' unit the passage of water therethrough through the interstices between the disks of which the heads are composed, while preventing the exit of the material the bed from the tank. The use of the strainer means in the top of the tank permits of a consider able reduction in the overall length of the tank as it avoids the necessity for any con- 780 siderable head room or settling space abovethe bed of water softening material. Thisn is, of course, of great importancefin the case -of the household installations, particularly.

The top 22 also has cast as an integral part 35 thereof a tubular neck 32 providing a passage through the top affording direct communication from the outside of the tank with the inside thereof so that salt or brine may be introduced in the tank when the. softener is 1590 to be regenerated. The neck has a close fitting cap 33 fitting the protruding rim 3 1 -thereof. The cap 33 is suitably pressedand held in place by a hand screw 35 operatingin a yoke 86 suitably mounted on the top 22. I

. In the assembling of the softener, before u the top 22 is put in place, a hollow injector? head 37 is entered through the open top of the tank and threaded onto the pipe 8, as indicated at. 38. The head 37 hasstrainer heads normal softening operation is supplied through the pipe 15, passes downwardly through pipe 13 and into the tank through the pipes 11 and 8 and through the injector head 37 by way of the nozzles 39. The nozzles are provided of a suitable number uniformly spaced about the top of the head 37 and serve to distribute the incoming water uniformly throughout the cross-sectional area of the bed for intimate contact with. the mineral. The water leaving the upper end of the bed passes out through the nozzles 31, the mineral being retained by reason of the small interstices between the disks of the nozzles, and passes out through the pipe 19 to the service system communicating with the pipe 21. During this operation the valves 14: and 20 are opened and the valve 16 is closed, as is also a valve 40 interposed between the supply pipe 15 and the service pipe 21 at the reducer T fitting 41. After a capacity run of hard water when the softener requires regeneration, the valvesl and 20 are closed, and the valve 16 communicating with the waste pipe 17 is opened. The cap 33 is then removed and the water in the tank commences to drain through the waste pipe. It is usually ad'- visable to close the valve 16 when enough water has drained out of the tank to admit i the salt or brine without overflowing. After the salt or brine has been poured in the. cap

is replaced and the valve 16, assuming it has been closed, is reopened. Thenthe valve 40 is opened to admit hard water from the sup-' Waste water containing the released calcium,

magnesium, and other hardness taken from the bed leaves the'softener by Way of the nozzles 39 and is dischar ed to the sewer through the Waste pipe 17 er-e again the nozzles 39 serve to retain the mineral byreason of the small interstices between the disks of the nozzles. The regeneration flow is continued for a certain length of time until a test of the waste water shows that all of the salt has been washed throu h the bed. A. bib or faucet 42 maybe provided on the T fitting43 for test purposes. As soon as the regeneration is known to be completed the valves 16 and -10 are closed and the valves 14 and 20 are reopened and the softener is then ready to conseparable units, saidclosure being preferably in the form of a hollow casting providing an I inner wall and an outer wall 1n spaced relation, the inner wall serving as a-strainer wall permitting the passage of fluid there through but preventing the exit of material from said tank while the outer wall has means connected therewith providing fluid communication with said tank, and an integrally cast tubular neck connecting the outer wall withtheinner wall and opening through both walls to afford direct communication from the outside of the tank with the inside thereof for the purpose described, and a closure for said neck arranged to be opened when desired.

In witness of the foregoing I aflix my signature.

CHARLES A. S'IICKNEY. 

